The loan officer says the refinanced amount would be 75% of the purchase price and not the new appraised value after rehab.In this case, is it a bad idea to transfer ownership of the duplex into my family member's name and then purchase the duplex back but this time financed? 

And house-hacking is the quickest way to build wealth in real estate from scratch.At the risk of sounding like an agent angling for your business, I would offer a word of caution using your friend, unless he or she really knows the nuances of what you're looking to do. 

In an  Office or Industrial project, competing business can co-exist as neighbors because they are generally providing a service for which the "playing field" is away from the property.

If you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know!

My girlfriend is against this idea for many reasons, but most importantly because we believe it will jeopardize our DTI for the home equity loan (which we will both sign on) for the house rehab. 

Link isn't working, but I was able to find it here: I was just sharing notes with someone else on these forums about things I look for with syndications, and while there is a lot to look at, the first one is: is this an asset class and business plan you want to invest in.  

If you don't mind keeping it, it's probably a good idea to rent out.

Small towns may rely too much on a single business or market segment.

.: @Jenat Higaa true 'private' lender is someone you know - your dentist, your uncle, someone you work with, someone in a business mastermind with you.so if you need to 'vet' a private lender... they're not a private lender. 

We have been in business for a decade and we haven't seen anyone get financing on properties that are valued under 70,000.